An economist with a keen research mind, Dr. S. June Menzies has spent decades tirelessly advocating for women and social justice. In the 1960s and 70s, she sensitized the public and pushed the government for the need to reform family law so women, at the time of divorce, would share equally in the accumulated benefits from a marriage. One of the first to tackle violence against women in the home, she dedicated half her family business space to create the first women’s shelter, Osborne House. She was central to the development of the original Manitoba Action Committee on the Status of Women, responsible for the framework for the Royal Commission on the Status of Women and the first vice-president of the Canadian Advisory Council on the Status of Women. Recently president of the Life Members of the Provincial Councils of Women of Manitoba and volunteer and board member at the West Broadway Community Ministry Outreach program, she is currently a strong voice working for reform in mental health and governmental accountability in Manitoba. She was appointed a member of the Order of Canada in 1980.
